Deadly Deception

Chapter 6



Anne was reaching the homestretch to the Whitney cabin. She had driven through Duluth roughly forty-five minutes earlier and it was an hour to the cabin from there. The splendor of the open wilderness in northern Minnesota was much more pleasing to the eye than the concrete jungle in which she resided. Though there was still quite a chill in the air, she still opened her windows to let the crisp movements fill her lungs.

She slowed down to an upcoming gravel driveway on the right side of the road. She passed a large wooden mailbox and made her way down the long curved driveway. Ahead of her was the cabin in all its red timber glory. It had been featured in Midwest Home last year.

It had two stories with a lower level that opened up to the cobblestone beach. The forepart of the cabin presented an infinite wrap-around porch which in the warmer months was decorated with polychromatic potted flowers and hunter-green rocking chairs. Anne was ecstatic to finally get out of the car and stretch her dormant muscles. She inhaled so deeply a wave of dizziness swept over her. She placed her hands on her hips as she viewed the hushed secluded property. Most of the trees were still barren except the thick pine trees which lined the front of the acreage.

Opening her trunk, she hauled out the matching luggage, then dropped them with a thud as small rocks kicked up under the rubber wheels. Anne pulled out the key to the front door to let herself in. Adam had dropped it off right before he left. At first he was going to have Anne retrieve it from Victoria but she quickly rebuffed that idea. Adam found his fiancé’s jealously charming but reassured her that Victoria had never made a pass at him. Anne knew better. Men were oblivious. Now she was positive Victoria had made a pass at him at some point.

The aroma of pine and apple-cinnamon lofted through the entry of the wide fortress and into Anne’s senses. It appeared much more open with all the Christmas decorations packed away. The grand staircase curled up to the second floor, showing off its polished wooden features.

She entered into the living room where a magnificent bay window featured the picturesque landscape of Lake Superior and its grey stony shores. The furniture, simple crafted pieces with red, green and white plaid linen coverings, stayed within the typical cabin theme. The fireplace was the most impressive piece in the room, besides the view. The gallant multi-hued stones extended to the loft above her.

There sat a pyramid of firewood ready to go. Anne walked into the kitchen to check out the delicious edibles in the refrigerator and pantry. Adam had stocked it full. She took out a bottle of merlot. The wine glasses were stashed in the formal dining room hutch. Anne took a sip of the burgundy liquid, letting it envelope her throat with warmth. She sauntered out onto the three-season porch that connected to the deck. A shiver crept around her body as the feathered breeze bounced off the water and over her skin. She gave one last glance at the lake and made her way back into the warm cabin.

She managed to haul her luggage up the stairs and into the master bedroom which was decorated in french country chic. The patina-cloaked metal bed was neatly made except for the yellow decorative pillows that sat stacked on the warped wooden chair next to the window.

Adam’s clothes were hung in the walk-in closet and were wafting his fresh masculine scent. Stopping at one of his white dress shirts, a sly smile stirred on her lips. She began to undress leaving on only her pale pink lace bra and panties. She slipped her arms into the oversized oxford shirt and buttoned it mid-breast.

Anne walked into the bathroom, gazing at her reflection and giggling; a rush of crimson covered her cheeks. Adam’s shirt hit mid-thigh, revealing her toned legs. She bent to the side and began fussing with her long blonde tresses. She sprayed a subtle amount of floral-laced perfume on her wrists and neck. She waited in anticipation of Adam’s arrival. Grabbing her phone, she saw that it was close to five o’clock. She tried calling Adam once again but it went right to voice mail which meant he was still in court. She left him an enticing message, hoping he would hurry up.

Anne spent the next couple of hours thumbing through magazines and sipping merlot. The sun was beginning to stroke the horizon. As it began to cast shadows amongst the rooms, an anxious feeling fluttered through Anne. She flicked on two lamps in the living room and the overhead Tiffany chandelier in the kitchen.

The cabin was beginning to cool down from the day’s heat; Anne thought it was time to start a fire. She watched the fire-withered newspaper tickle the bottoms of the logs. Closing the metal frame, she gazed at the growing heat as it began to swallow the timber.

“Now that’s a fire.”

Anne was quite pleased with her fire-making abilities and brushed off a few stray pieces of bark that clung to the crisp shirt sleeves.

Clutching her glass of wine, she placed her iPod in the stereo that sat inside the built-in cove above the hearth. With remote in hand, she shuffled through her eclectic carousel of music until “Silver Lining” by Rilo Kiley crooned through the surround sound.

Anne sunk into the back of the plush couch, staring out into the pastel-swathed sky. The sun slowly lowered itself behind the earth and the moon emerged ready to greet the night with all its man-on-the-moon enchantment.

The sky eventually draped itself in black. The fire roared with intensity, flickering with hues of blue and yellow; the firewood pulsated crimson. Anne walked back into the kitchen to pour herself another glass of merlot. Turning off the light, she took a slight step down into the three-season porch. In Adam’s white button-down shirt, she walked out on to the deck. The bitter wood stung the bottom of her feet; the cold etched up her legs.

Anne gazed upon the blemished full moon that engulfed her in its floodlight. It reflected off of the still water and into her bright green eyes. But that wasn’t the only thing in her reflection. Down on the ebony cobblestone beach towered a dark silhouette. Electrified static surged through Anne’s entire body, igniting each and every cell.

After all the horror films she and Casey had watched, her subconscious was shrieking at her to run, lock the doors and call the police. Her stagnant gesture caused the silhouette to creep toward the stairs that led up to where she was standing.

“Run Stupid!” Her brain roared to the nerve impulses that were connected to her legs, but they remained unresponsive, as though some magnetic pull was holding her there. Her breathing ceased. Her heart thrusted blood through her so quickly the cold she had felt earlier dissipated. Her chest was on the verge of splitting in two. The menacing figure grew closer, lifting up its hands, pushing back the black shroud that was covering most of its face; revealing its true identity. The moonlight unveiled the truth in those familiar sapphire eyes.

“Hello, my Anneliese,” Carter said.

The wine glass fell from her hand, shattering into a million pieces at her bare feet. This wasn’t real; it was one of her crazy dreams. She would reach out to him and he would fade away in to the night air. Then she would wake up to a tear-stained pillow and haunting memories.

Extending her hand slowly, she could feel her muscles become rigid. Her trembling hand reached the curve of his jaw. Her fingertips felt the heat from his skin. He was here, standing before her in flesh and blood. Tears sprung from her eyes and she launched herself into his outstretched arms.

“Carter, is this real?”

His arms enfolded around her as she wept in his embrace.

“Yes, my Anneliese, this is real. I’m here,” Carter whispered into her tangled strands.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head, inhaling her lilac scent. She clutched onto the back of his sweatshirt, practically clawing at him. She couldn’t consume his presence fast enough. Her mind rapidly spun; his warmth enraptured her. But then her reality snapped back into place. Pulling away, she peered up at him wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this! What the hell?” Anne stammered.

Carter bent down to kiss her lips but Anne quickly backed away. When doing so, her right foot stabbed through a shard of broken glass. Screaming from the excruciating pain, she began to lose her balance. Carter quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her up in to him.

“Let’s get you inside.”

He cradled her quivering body into his arms as he opened the screen door that lead into the dimly lit cabin.

“I’m losing my mind or I need to dump that wine!”

Carter placed her on the gleaming brown granite, placing the open wound into the sink. The gash was oozing blood into the steel basin, causing a small stream to flow down the drain. Carter grabbed a yellow dish towel and turned on the faucet. Anne let out a shriek, for her heart was pounding in her heel.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to stop the bleeding.” Carter was holding the dish towel to clot the gash. “Why the hell were you out there with just a shirt on and no shoes? It’s thirty-five degrees out there!”

Anne was in disbelief. He had been missing, presumed dead for the past three years. He shows up on her fiancé’s deck alive and now he was going to stand there and lecture her about proper dress code.

“W-what the hell is going on? You’re supposed to be dead.”

She yanked the dish towel from his hands, holding it on the clotting puncture wound. Carter moved closer to her.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Anneliese. I know this is confusing for you.”

“Confusing? That’s an understatement, Carter!”

Tying the towel around her foot, she jumped down onto the hardwood floor. She winced at the pain that shot through her swollen foot and up her leg.

“Where have you been?” Anne asked through gritted teeth.

Carter paused for a second, searching to find the right words, the best explanation to ease his love’s tortured soul.

“I just couldn’t stay away from you any longer. There’s so much I want to say, so much I want to tell you. Once I heard you were engaged to Adam I couldn’t…”

“Wait, how did you know about that?”

Anne took a step toward Carter, holding his dark gaze.

“He’s not who you think he is, Anneliese.”

“That’s ironic for you because I thought I knew you too but I guess not! How could you do this to me, to your mother! Oh my god! Have you seen her, Carter? She is a mess! I was a mess when you disappeared.” Broken cries fell from her lips. “My heart died, my world came crashing down around me!” Her irises were black with fury. “Do you even care? Do you?!?!”

“Yes! Why do you think I’m here?”

Carter launched back, his face turning a deep shade of crimson.

“I loved you! And you left me. Why? I want to know why!”

Anne pounded her tightly clenched fists at his chest. Carter grabbed her hands, securing them forcefully behind the small of her back.

“Stop it! Listen to me!”

Carter bent down and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Anne yanked away, almost losing her balance.

“No! I want answers!”

Carter looked down at Anne’s exposed neck, releasing her hands.

“You still wear the pearls I gave you.”

She looked down and touched them with her hand which revealed the diamond perched upon her finger. Carter’s face twisted with anguish as he backed up against the wall.

“You can’t marry him, Anneliese. You don’t know him like I do,” Carter begged.

“What does that mean? How do you even know Adam?”

“Sit down please,” he instructed.

Anne hesitantly took a seat at the black bistro table, and Carter followed suit. This better be good, she thought.

“My father’s business was heading into financial ruin. The banks wouldn’t give him any more money so he became desperate. He asked the Montgomery family who are, well, let’s just say very influential in the illegal activities arena and extremely powerful. When I found out about it, I threatened to go to the feds because the Montgomery’s were already under investigation for extortion, credit card fraud and jury tampering. They caught wind of my intentions and told my father that I was a liability and needed to be taken care of. My father refused, so they decided to send over their own guy to take me out—Adam Whitney.”

Anne couldn’t believe her ears. Bile rose from Anne’s stomach when Carter said Adam’s name in the same context as a murderer. The room was spinning.

“So you’re telling me that Adam was contracted to kill you?”

“Yes, I knew too much and the Montgomery’s knew who to send. I faked my death so they wouldn’t come after us. That day I vanished only two people knew I wasn’t really dead—my father and Sam.”

“Sam knew about this? He’s the one that called me and told me you were dead! And what’s this ‘us’ business? Why would they come after me?”

Anne was trembling. He leaned toward her, placing his hands on top of hers. This time she didn’t pull away.

“He’s the one who delivered the note and pictures to you. I couldn’t take that risk of being seen. Once I heard Adam made his move, I couldn’t hide any longer from you. He has been using you the entire time. The Montgomery family suspected my death was a sham, even when my father showed them the death certificate. They sent Adam to you in hopes to lure me out and to see if you knew anything.”

“Oh my god!” Anne whispered looking around the room as it faded in and out of focus.

In the midst of Carter’s shocking revelation, Anne’s phone began to ring. They stood up simultaneously. It was Adam’s ringtone chirping at them. She didn’t know what to do. What would she say? Could she even believe anything Carter was saying?

“Don’t say a word to him about me,” Carter whispered, motioning her to answer it.

Swallowing hard, she tapped the screen that revealed Adam’s gentle smile.

“Hey babe,” Anne pushed out in a tight exhale.

“Hey, I’m so sorry. I hadn’t expect to be running so late and I couldn’t get away to call you back. I’m leaving right now so I should be there in about an hour.”

There was a slight pause then Anne replied.

“Um, it’s all right. I’ve just been relaxing by the fire.”

Clearing her throat she continued to maintain her composure. Carter watched her, coaxing her to wrap it up.

“Are you okay? You sound funny,” Adam inquired.

“I’m just tired, you know? That drive is exhausting plus I’ve had a couple glasses of wine.”

She awkwardly giggled.

“You don’t have to wait for me, just go ahead to bed and we’ll have a nice breakfast in town tomorrow morning.”

“Sure, that sounds great. See you in a bit.”

Anne began twisting the string of pearls around her shaky index finger.

“I love you, Anne.”

She closed her eyes and blurted out those words that she knew would rip through Carter’s chest.

“I love you too.”

Choking back her tears, she ended the call. Carter approached her, winding his arms around her whether she wanted him to or not. There would be no struggle. She gave in, sinking into his chest where she quietly sobbed. Since her first discovery of Carter’s renewed existence, she hadn’t really focused much on his appearance. She studied his face; time had stood still for him. Same gorgeous wavy russet hair, same perfect olive skin and his eyes were just as mesmerizing as ever. Even his smell was the same.

Carter placed his fingers under her chin. This time his kiss was without force, full of eagerness and compassion. Anne backed against the counter and Carter pressed his body against hers. Placing her hand on Carter’s chest, she gently pushed him back.

“This is wrong. I can’t do this Carter, and you have to go.”

“I love you my Anneliese. I’m here for you.”

Carter’s gaze burned into hers with confusion of her rejection.

“I need to be alone. You can’t just appear out of nowhere and expect us to pick up where we left off. It doesn’t work that way. I’m engaged to Adam.”

“He’s dangerous!”

Carter threw his arms up in frustration.

“He’s never hurt me. I’m not afraid of him.”

She hoped she sounded convincing.

“You should be.”

“You have to go. He’ll be here soon,” she moved further from his reach. “Don’t think for

a moment that I’m finished with you. I want to know everything, and I mean everything, Carter.”

“I’ll tell you everything, I promise, but you must stay silent regarding my whereabouts,”

Carter warned, before walking toward the door that led to the deck.

“I won’t say a thing, but when will I see you again?” Anne asked.

Deep down, Anne dreaded that her eyes would never fall upon his face again.

“I’ll be in touch very soon.”

And just like that, Carter vanished into the thick night air. Anne stood in the kitchen breathless and bewildered. She was trying to make sense of what had just taken place. Did it really happen? Is her fiancé truly a killer? She didn’t know how she would act around him knowing what she knew. She quickly cleaned up, bandaged up her foot and got ready for bed. If she was asleep when he arrived home she wouldn’t have to speak to him. At least she would have tonight.

Tomorrow, she would have to come up with a different plan. She drifted off still feeling Carter’s phantom hands. Her sweet dreams would be interrupted knowing that the man who was behind Carter’s disappearance was sleeping soundly in the same bed with her. What would he do to her once he discovered that she knew the truth?